A man was recovering in hospital today after he was rescued from a serious fire which gutted his home.

Police say they are not treating the blaze in Earle Place, Canton, Cardiff, as suspicious, but today the severely damaged three- storey house was sealed off and being kept under guard by a police officer.

The 44-year-old man, who police say lived alone in the small, quiet road of terraces off Leckwith Road, is recovering from burns and smoke inhalation at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

His pet German Shepherd dog died in the fire, which happened at about 3.10am.

Fourteen firefighters from Ely and Cardiff Central battled the flames for more than an hour, which a spokesman from Ely described as a 'hard fire fight'.

Using breathing apparatus they rescued the man from the top floor of his terraced home.

A 32-year-old resident, who lived across the road from the blaze-hit property, which is next to a hairdressers' shop, said the early morning activity was a shock for the normally quiet area.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said: 'I was woken up by a lot of banging and I could see flashing blue lights and smoke.

'I thought it was the hairdressers' next door at first.

'I didn't know him very well. I think he was an American guy.

'I'm hoping he'll be all right.

'It's normally a quiet, nice street and it's quite surprising.'

Scenes of crime police officers and fire officers were today due to investigate the cause of the fire.

A spokeswoman for South Wales Police said: 'At the moment we don't know the cause of the fire but there is nothing to indicate that it was suspicious at all.'

It is understood a fire broke out in the kitchen of the house earlier this year.